Honda is recalling 635,808 vehicles in the United States because a software fault can cause a sudden loss of power steering assist, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. The recall covers certain 2021 to 2025 Acura TLX sedans, 2022 to 2024 Acura MDX SUVs and 2023 to 2025 Honda Pilot SUVs, under NHTSA campaign 26V721.
The electric power steering software can put the system into a failsafe mode, cutting steering assistance and making the vehicle harder to steer, particularly at low speeds. Dealers will reprogram the electric power steering control unit free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on December 14, and vehicle identification numbers become searchable on NHTSA’s recall site from Wednesday, November 11 — today.
One of the biggest recalls of the month
The Honda action is the largest single recall in the current NHTSA bulletin cycle, dwarfing the 228,367-vehicle Toyota Sienna recall announced in the same period and the 37,901-vehicle Hyundai airbag recall reported last week. NHTSA received Honda’s report on October 29, and the agency lists Honda’s internal recall numbers as KQB and TQA.
What owners should do
Owners of the affected models can check their VIN at NHTSA.gov/recalls from today. A loss of steering assist does not mean the steering fails entirely, but it demands much more effort from the driver, and the risk is highest during parking and low-speed turns. Honda says the software update is free, and owners should not wait for the December letter if their VIN shows an open recall.
The scale of the recall reflects how widely Honda shares parts across its brands. The Acura TLX and MDX are Honda’s premium models, while the Pilot is its family SUV, and all three use the same electric power steering system, which is why a single software fault can sweep across 635,808 vehicles. Honda’s internal recall numbers are KQB and TQA, and the campaign is listed with NHTSA as 26V721. Owners can already check whether their vehicle is affected at NHTSA.gov/recalls, and dealers will reprogram the steering control unit free of charge — the fix is software, not hardware, so the visit should be quick.
